Speak to the rugby coaches, agents and scouts who have worked in England, France, New Zealand and the US, and they will tell you that the South African schoolboy players are a class apart.

The quality of the rugby improves each year thanks to greater investment in the local school programmes. Hundreds watch teams play, while tens of thousands flock to festivals across the country. The annual showdown of one local derby, between Paarl Gymnasium and Paarl Boys’ High, is held in a stadium holding 20,000...

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